The 4 Fender Princeton Reissues Comparison - 62 vs 64 vs 65 vs 68
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- Опубліковано 23 чер 2020
- Shootout between Fender's 4 Princeton Reissues:
1962 Fender Princeton Chris Stapleton Edition Reissue
1964 Fender Princeton Reverb Custom Reissue
1965 Fender Princeton Reverb Reissue
1968 Fender Princeton Reverb 'Reissue' or inspired by.
We're playing the amps using a 1969 Fender Stratocaster, a 2011 Gibson SG Standard, a 2020 Fender Telecaster and a 1973 Fender Stratocaster. The amps are mic:ed by a BeyerDynamic M160 Ribbon mic.
Now, Johan has earned a 4 year Princeton degree.
Hahaha! ;-)
I’d love to know how he gets his hands on all this killer and rare gear.
Michael Gracon
So would I, but at least with this group of amps they are all current models in Fender’s lineup. Your local Fender would be thrilled to sell you all four for about $6,000 total.
🤣🤣🤣
Imagine having all four of these and waking up deciding which one you want to play.
This is a phenomenal comparison showing every amp's strengths!
Lol if it’s me, I’m not choosing. Run all these in a big ass 15 watt 4x10 setup 😂
62 for me without a doubt especially with the SG!
Thanks Tyler!
That combo was tonal bliss.
I love my Princeton 65 reissue, sounds fabulous with/without pedals. absolutely best money ever spent...
Agree 100% = those gorgeous "Cleans"
Agreed
I'm looking forward to buying one some day soon
Thanks for the great demo. I appreciate you guys playing chords and letting them ring and simple straightforward runs that allow us the hear the amp’s tone.
The 64’ WINS...... with the 68’ coming in 2nd!
The 62 is the most different sounding of the 4 which makes it the coolest and especially when you add in the Tremolo. The 64 and 65 are basically the same thing and a speaker change can make either one right for anyone’s taste. The 68 comes in last in my opinion but id take any of them! They’re all fantastic amps!!
Preferred the 62 as well but with no reverb… :-(
62 is the absolute best one here! Great tones, amazing amp.
Whew, I've had the 68 since it first came out and so I was relieved to see/hear it was my choice of these four. Thanks for the great demo!
ME TOO MAN
Thanks for taking the time to compare these 4 models. After a year of trying to decide, I just picked up a used '68 Custom Princeton- I love it. Btw, Johan , I love the uptempo shuffle at 16:30.
Walked away thinking any off them would be just fine! Nice comparison video guys - the format and all. Will never make the mistake of discounting small amps again.
This Has to be some of the best content on all of UA-cam! 👍🏻
That '64 is so killer
I like each of them, except the 65 reissue. Each has its own unique qualities. The 62 and 68 would record well overdriven together dual and quad tracking. The 64 I think overall is best if only using one.
I really like the stapleton model 62 pushed the most I think
Almost my thoughts exactly!
These are great sounding amps! Presentation was perfect!
Johan, thank you for your videos you make videos for every question in the amp world I have!!!!
Well done Johan and Simon!
Thanks for a Great comparison and demonstration! Very enjoyable!
Be Well All!
Thanks Steven!
Best Princeton comparison on UA-cam. Well done! All great amps. In other UA-cam videos, in the comments sections people cane the ‘68 against the ‘65. This comparison shows that the ‘68 has a sweet sound. I have a ‘68 on back order which arrives in the next week or two. Can hardly wait.
I liked the 65 best, 68 2nd. I'd go with the 62 if it had reverb.
Great video too!! So good to hear these all lined up like that.
Terrific! Thank you for taking the trouble to make a comprehensive review.
I'll take the 68,thank you very much!!! Another BRILLIANT post, Johan. Thank you !!!
I’m with you 68 for the win!
Thanks Graham, great to hear that!
Un verdadero lujo escuchar estos tesoros. GRACIAS!!
One of the best comparison videos you've done
Simple
The 64 does it for me
Thanks johan
The 64 is the one to go for me. No doubt about that. I am quite surprised that the 65 sounds so "thin" compared to the 64... Second best to my ears is the 68.
I think it’s the speaker in the 65. I have a 65 reissue and it has the same speaker his 64 has which looks like a P10R. My 65 has the warmth that his 64 has.
@@RB-bp5ud You may well be right! I've changed speakers I combo amps I had and it has been a quite noticeable difference each time. It's possibly the easiest and most instant way to improve the sound of an otherwise nice amp that's lacking just a bit sonically. You just have to pick the right speaker for the job... (that's where it probably starts to get a bit delicate...)
The speaker makes a huge difference. I actually like the stock 65 quite a bit and I have had a 64 and 65 at my house all week to test and compare. Both are really good amps.
@@moreorlesslikeso If you put a 12" speaker in a Princeton reverb it is loud enough for most bar work
I play a real 64 and the re issue is pretty close
So nice!! If I had to choose the 62 then the 68 custom for me. They seemed to have the most presence and the overdriven tones were very much to my liking
I have a 65 reissue with a 12" Creamback. Man I love this little amp 🥰
Great comparison video Johan 👍
Damn. '64 for me! EPIC comparison. Thank you for the attention to detail and fair mic placement.
Thanks! Great to hear that
great video - you've done an excellent comparison with the sound tests 🙂
That was an excellent comparison! I really like the way you laid it out on the screen. I kept wondering how they would compare using the same speaker. I know that isn’t a true comparison of how they are sold, but almost everyone I know changes the speaker for an Eminence or a Celestion.
I think the 64 came out best overall. Great video - thanks guys.
Digging the 64 and 65. Full tilt reverb on the 65 sounds awesome. Thank Johan!
Thanks! Yeah the reverb on full on the 65 is still very usable
It would have been interesting to hear them all from the same speaker/cab. I have a weber 10a150 in my 65RI and it made it sound much better. Thanks, I love your videos
Thanks David! Im glad to hear that!
The 65 sounds the worst to me and I wondered how much that had to do with the speaker
You do the best comparison videos on UA-cam.
Thanks my friend!
The order of best to worst changes depending on the guitar and what is being played. I will say that the 68 has a really excellent clarity that is present throughout the entire video.
Well, now I understand what the Vox AC was there for at Austin City Limits: Reverb! His guitar sounded HUGE on the recording I saw of "I Was Wrong", and it had all the reverb in the world on it, lol. First time I saw that video, I almost came out of my chair- "THAT'S IT!!!! THAT'S THE FREAKING SOUND!!!" (in my head) ALL of these sounded pretty good, but it really showed the difference between the 10" speakers in the 64,65, and 68, and the 12" Eminence in the 62. Played side by side, it stuck out like a sore thumb- VERY different midrange response- and it sounded more open, too.
Now, to get one of those spring reverb units to go with it...
Love the playing that starts around 13:25 with the 65 displaying its sweetness. My favorite is the 64 followed by the 65. I expected that I would like the 68 the most when driven but was not the case. I have a 65 which I play at home and every time I think about swapping out the speaker I hesitate because the Jensen sounds nice clean on low volume. Not sure what speaker would get in the sweet spot at such a low volume as the stock speaker. I think it's a great amp for home use.
Great sounding amps! I'm glad I went with the 68, it's incredibly sweet but it can get pretty gnarly.
They're all great but my ear prefers the 64 for clean and the 62 driven. thx
I have the 62 and my mate has the 64. We set them up in a wet - wet rig the other day. The two amps together is amazing with or without pedals. I am going to update my pedal board so we can try it as a wet - dry rig and see how that sounds. I assume it will sound HUGE. Johan, I think you should consider doing a video with the 62 and 64 as wet - dry rig. that would be fun.
seems to me the the difference in the amps is mostly about the speakers. It would be great to hear them all through the same cab.
💯👍
Yep, this.
Came here hoping to find this comparison.
The 64 and the 62 are hand wired. I don’t pay any attention to arguments about sound differences, but hand wiring definitely makes future maintenance easier and means those amps will be able to be kept going for decades, just like the originals.
My ( actual) 64 has a 12" speaker. Makes such a difference. Big enough for most indoor venues.
I own the '68 Custom Princeton. Two things I want to point out here. Number 1, it seems the '64 is the only amp with an Alnico magnet speaker. Second, input 1 on the '68 actually is the Bassman circuit on that amp. Input 2 is the Princeton circuit. I replaced the 10" Celestian ceramic magnet speaker in my '68 with the Celestian Alnico Gold 10". Alnico magnet speakers make a massive difference/improvement in tone. I believe the '62 Chris Stapleton has a 12" ceramic magnet speaker. The other 3 Princeton's are all 10". My ears prefer the '64 in this demo for sure. Then the '68.
Best review i ever seen😳. Presentation was excellent.
They all have there place. I own the 68 definitely got bass. Looking for a pedal to kick it in creamy distortions. For 90s rock/grunge. Gonna try the Big muff/ Ts9 combo🤷🏽♂️
Yes Princetontation is excellent lol Man they sound very close to my 61 I picked up recently
with the nob settings the 65 serves the best form light to heavy playing and only a 69 baseman or 55 baseman blows it away !!!no wonder we love these sounds as the settings and break up are so precise most will never understand if they are not in studio and the live audience can never appreciate that!!!! let alone non HD youtube. great job Johan as usual love what you do
Thanks Magnus, glad to hear it!
Great speaker comparison. Looks like the Alnico speaker was the favorite. The amps were cool too!
Dude, thank you for this!!
The 65 and 68 reissues are not just the same amp with different cosmetics, there are actual real differences and you can hear it clearly when you play them!
he was saying the 68 reissue is mostly similar to a 1968 Princeton in cosmetics not that it was the same as the 65. like he said tho, still a great amp
@@DJG016That ain't what he said.
Right after you said " let's go " -
that first riff... Tone and all-
I sang out-
" No Matter What You Are...."
Badfinger all the way*
Those all sounded as I expected-
Really good!- 😉👍🏻
Thanks Jamie ;-)
Great video. Thanks for this. I have a 65RI, but I’ve put a 12” Celestion Greenback in it. Sounds massively great. Hated the stock 10” Jensen. Far too scooped, harsh highs and the bottom is flubbery. It’s a great amp, but the stock speaker really lets it down.
The ‘62 brown face sounds incredible in this video.
Thanks Jon, yeah I bet it sounds great with a Greenback.
If you ever get the chance, a JBL D120f in a PR is the best true fender tone. I have a modded PR I built. Tried several different 12s Celestion Eminence Jensen and stopped at the D120, loud, warm, bright, but not harsh. Think Toy Caldwell, Marshall tucker band.
Idiots the blueback fender speaker is what makes those blackface amps legendary!
Jon, so to put a 12" speaker in place of the 10" did you cut the cabinet hole to a larger diameter? Except for the price, I would go with the '64, but I'm considering the '65 reissue.
@@StealthParrot yeah that’s what I did. You need to have a bigger hole in the board to accommodate the bigger speaker. It changes the amp for the better in my opinion. Although there are some fantastic 10” speaker options out there too that are superior to the stock Jensen (again, in my opinion). I think Celestion even do a 10” Greenback now?
Did an experiment...didn't watch, just listened while reading something on another tab...I flipped back to the video whenever something caught my ear...every time it was either the '64 or the '62 - mostly the latter...I love the dry, earthy tone of that amp...but, I have to say, not $2000 worth of love
Great job!!
Thanks!
Honestly, they should cost even more. They are that good.
Hi, Johan!
I was late today - I was checking out the Squier Tele like yours, and I was very impressed!:-)
A liked 64 and 68, but with SG 62 is very interesting. I think, I was taking the 68. To much vintage amps is not so easy to play, and 64 - maybe it was my spoiler, it was the first one. I remember, Cahaneman & Tversky said, it's making a kind of bias... You know,,:-) So, 68!!!
See you!
Z.
Cheers Zigfrid!
I like the Chris Stapleton model. The 12 inch speaker helps with fullness.
Played a 64 Custom Reissue a few months ago. Normally, I'm a British amp guy, but the 64 Princeton might be the best sounding amp I've ever played.
Own a 65 Reissue which I've had for 15 years-ish (which I do run with a bunch of pedals), but 68 raw sounds best to my ears in this. Great shootout guys.
So if you wanted a hauling-around Princeton, plug in, crank and go anyplace, it would be the '68?
The 64 hw is killer. The 62 is nice too, more mid focused. Great reverb in the 64.
The difference between 64 and 65 is quite amazing. I can't say I dig the 65. If I could choose 2 out of them, I'd go for 64 and 62. Thank you Mr. Segeborn.
Thanks Gökhan!
Same
I own a 68 with the celestial greenback 30W 10” speaker. It’s some kind of FSR a Limited Edition in surf green. That amp is amazing, especially when paired with Jazzmaster. Such rich tone! They all sound really good, but the 64 wins on this stage. The Stapleton has headroom, but lack of Reverb on that model kind of blows.
I have a Silverface. Always wondered what a Greenback would sound like in it. Can you give me a brief description compared to the stock setup? Many thanks for your time.
Great video!
I have a 65 I have used for past 3 years, I like it but the 64 has much nicer drive, what a difference!
64 was clear favourite for me, then 65, then 68 which sounded thin, and the worst was the 62 which sounded really dead and dull to me, no treble or chime.
Thanks David!
64 / 68 sounding the most alive to me. Lovely tone from both amps.
I think if you could only have one amp for all guitars, the 64 sounds like the most versatile across the board. It sounds pretty dang good with any of the combinations.
Thank you for this Johan! Live, I play the 65 and 62 in tandem, and they complement each unbelievably well, with lows and highs coming from the 65 and all the singing midrange from the 62. Super combination, and sound guys love it too! As many have done, I put a 12inch 20W Greenback in the 65. I also switched the stock speaker in the 62 to a 15W Celestion Blue. The one it came with overemphasises the midrangy character of the amp in my humble opinion. My absolute favourite recording amp!
Not sure about others, but I was sad when the video ended. This was a nice musical/sound journey and I was ready for more :D Thanks for doing all this work.
My only OCD comment was that I wished the amps were in chrono order ... don't know why, we'd have to ask my subconscious about that. On second thought, let's not.
62 Stapleton by far for me. Planned on getting it already, but confirmed it more. good comparison
I preferred the tone of the 64 but I am surprised at how close the 68 came to it in comparison to the 65. Serious bang for your buck. I’d buy one if i needed another Princeton.
How many people do you think buy the '65 because it's the one you're "supposed" to get? Obviously it's subjective and personal taste goes a long, long way. In a blind sample how many do you think would still choose the '65 without YT telling them it's the one? I'm biased, I just bought the '68, but I bought after trying the '65 and '68. As far as those go, money wasn't an issue choosing, pure dynamics and character. The '65 just sounded so boring by comparison. I personally don't use pedals that often, I have some, some great ones too but with kids, I don't get a lot of time to play so an amp with its own flavor stands higher for me. Anyways, I prefer the '68 and was set to buy the '65 because it's what YT says is the superior PRRI. In person I didn't feel like it lived up to that hype.
I just ordered a used ‘68 FSR which comes with a better speaker (G10 vs the ten 30). Can’t wait to try it!
Sort of think I would go for the 68 silverface in all the situations.
For my taste i’ll split first between 62 and 64 both great at what they do. But the the drive tone on the 62 is to die for. A shame you didnt tried it out with a p90 guitar. Thats a match made in tonal heaven.
The 68 comes in as a second and the 65 last
10" Celestion Gold is the best speaker in the 65 reissue IMO. Def makes it a better amp.
64 for me very well rounded ...65 Reverb was stunning ...62 got a very different low end ...great tones gentlemen ....cool
Thanks Gerry!
@@JohanSegeborn what rectifier tube does the 62 have?
Each unique, but pure Fender tone from all. 64 is the standout, I think.
I liked this video before it even started... trying to decide between these four for a while, but no shop around me sells any of them.
Thanks Oliver! Glad the video is put to some good use!
My God! Simons strat sounds amazing.
Yeah it’s a killer guitar
Thanx man!
Awesome video!!! If I had to pick one, 64 sounds most versatile. However if $$ wasnt an issue, I would buy 62 and 65 and that would cover so many tones!
An amazing video!
Man they all sound so good and so different. I have a modded 68. Thinking i can justify getting another?! That 62 sure sounds tasty! That 64 is sweet too, and maybe the better investment than the 65?. Love princetons!
They all sound beautiful in their own way !!!
The 62 is without competition. Seconds best is 64, followed by 68. Didn't like the 65 at all, sounded incredibly trebly and sharp. But tastes are different I assume.
@Grass Man I just got a 68 Princeton today, what are some good alnico speakers? Do you think a Jensen alnico would sound good in this amp? Maybe a Celestion British speaker would be better since it’s what came with the amp.
Gotta go with ya on that one! The 62’ pound for pound is the better sounding amp.
I personally think the 68 has the best sounding clean tone
The Marsh Clifton Junior Reverb is the same amp. Except, it has a 12-inch speaker, it's point-to-point wired, it has heyboer transformers, a 1/4 inch speaker jack so you can play it through a bigger cabinet.....It also has a middle control so you can get tweed/blonde/brown/ OR blackface tones out of it.... Oh yeah, and at thirteen hundred bucks it's about half the price of the fender hand-wired!!! You're welcome! Marsh amps are out of Florida and he build some top shelf stuff!!!
Thought I would rank 62 - 64 - 65 - 68 but after this great comparison would go 64 - 68 - 62 - 65 (with some waffling '62 vs '65) I very much like Chris Stapleton's sound but was disappointed in the '62. '64 definitely takes it for me. Thanks Johan & Simon
I'm more of a Tweed or Silverface guy, but that 64 has got a little bit of everything. Impressive!
I really like it too
Outstanding comparison!!! '64 wins in most sound clips. 62 has best tremolo though.... Thanks!!!!
They all sound so different! I wonder how much of that is because they each have a different speaker. The only one I wasn't sold on was the '68. It seemed a little sharp/harsh, and its overdrive sounded a bit untidy. I suspect that a change of speaker might change everything, though. Really interesting test! You must be great friends with your local music stores, because you seem to always manage to assemble amazing collections of gear for these comparisons!
Thanks man, this is Simons store actually.
I could be wrong on this, but I do believe the circuits of the ‘64, ‘65, and ‘68 are all identical. Only difference between them is the speaker choice, and the HW circuit on the ‘64.
I've had the 65, 68 and 2 handwired clones. I have the 64 now and it's by far the closest thing to the vintage real deal blackface sound, not only the tone but the reverb and especially the tremolo. I would love to hear the 64 up against a real early vintage Princeton blackface but both thought the same speaker. The 65 and 58 in this vid sound like amp sims compared to the 64 and 62 to me. I'm all about the blackface so the 62 just doesn't do that. The 68 regardless if you like it or not, does not sound like a Princeton at all to me, its an entirely different amp. Thank you for this comparison great job!
Thanks Randy!
I agree that the 64 sounds the most similar to vintage Blackface amps. I’m just hoping that Fender eventually puts out a Vibrolux in that series.
@@charlesbolton8471 YES ME TOO!
From best to worst (in my opinion) 64, 62, 65, 68. Thanks for the video Johan!
Thanks Ivan
Nice comparison! I really enjoyed watching it. I have a PRRI 65 myself. Just out of curiosity, I decided to swap the speaker for a Jupiter 10 LC, which was a huge difference. Not better, but different. Way more clean headroom (quite logically) and fuller. The stock Jensen C-10R may sound a bit stiff in comparison, but in a busy mix it just cuts, as it favours the transients in a very nice way. It sounds "wiry" (as in "wire") and clangy in a way. These are such flexible little amps. If you have any of them... try different speakers. I'm getting a Blue Alnico and a Creamback next :)
The two black faces were my favourites... I feel like the 68 would be a great amp with a different speaker, maybe a ceramic jensen to brighten it a little
I have one and agree. Slightly brighter woudl be a bit better.
I had an original ‘62 for many years and disliked it because it was kind of cold and dark and didn’t have the top end chime of the BF/SF. I can really hear it here. I now have a ‘65 RI and like it much better but new they are riduculously bright until they get some hours on them. Great vid!
Thanks Roland!
wow the 'verb in the '64 PRRI... surf's up boyz
So many factors- speaker being key along with how the guitars interact. I know this but to hear it in real time..... it’s a head scratcher. My favorites change depending on what, how loud, and amount of reverb. I take back everything I wrote, and then restate it. Quite a conundrum,
Love your experiments Johan. Would love to see you do more fender amplifiers particularly the twin reverbs. It’s such a crazy loud amp but there’s so many simple mods you can do to them. I hate traveling with it. They’re back breakers lol. The high head room and tailoring my over drive tones through effects always appealed to me.
Thanks John, yeah Twins are great amps
Hell yeah! GR8 VIDEO!
For my ears, the order of best to worst sounding is:
1. 64
2. 68
3. 62
4. 65
Great review and super helpful!
Man that's so great you've shot this video! Can you compare the fender handwired 64 princeton to deluxe? Would really-really appreciate it a lot!
Thanks Bobby! Yeah we’ll do that too in a couple of months. Cheers
Johan Segeborn , thank you, sir!
62, 68, 64 then the 65, to my ears. Thanks for the demo
The 65 and 68 sounded fine to me with the strats, and Id love to hear them with 12 inch speakers. The 62 was nice with the humbuckers (SG).
Fantastic! thank you
I'm surprised that I prefered the 68 in comparision to the 65... That's the first time.
They all have different sonic characteristics and it would be great if we could put them all together in one amp. Johan, when you were playing your SG the 64 had the sweetest overdriven tone.
Thanks Joe!
62 then 68 (I own this actually) then 64 and 65. Lovely video, thanks.
Thanks Angel!
Thanks for the comparison Johan! I just bought a used 65 model, didn’t like the speaker at all, and the next day bought the speaker that’s in the 64, gonna put it in soon, maybe tomorrow. From what I gather that makes the biggest tonal difference and should bring it pretty close to the 64’s tone, ...I hope lol
How are you liking your 65 with the upgraded speaker... thinking about doing the same thing.
@@notthisnotthat I’ve only done one rehearsal with it, then went through a bunch of drive pedals to see which ones work best and found several that sounded great. I like it much better than the stock speaker which I didn’t like. Still need to use it more extensively though
I like the 64. Simon's strat sounds sweet!